Growing Nanowires

Cadmium selenide nanowire strands and “ropes,” grown in solution and deposited on a solid surface

Nanotechnology to transform computers, solar cells, batteries, thermoelectric and biomedical devices, and much more

Semiconductor nanowires, about one ten-thousandth the diameter of a human hair, have the potential to dramatically improve computers, solar cells, batteries, sensors, and a host of other electronic devices. But they can be difficult and expensive to produce in the complex “heterostructured” configuration most useful for electronic applications. Los Alamos scientists have devised new ways to address this challenge, including a new hybrid nanowire growth method in a microfluidic reactor that simultaneously increases creative control and reduces cost.